Slider for a concealed slide fastener



June 23, 1970 R. B. HOWELL 3,516,127

SLIDER FOR A GONCEALED SLIDE FASTENER Filed Feb. 28, 1968 IN VENTOR.05527 5. Ham/EAL B W M4" United States Patent 3,516,127 SLIDER FOR ACONCEALED SLIDE FASTENER Robert B. Howell, 2115 Madrona Point Drive,Bremerton, Wash. 98310 Filed Feb. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 708,968 Int. Cl.A441) 19/30, 19/32 US. Cl. 24-20514 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThe slider includes a pull tab mounting ring movable over an endwiseprotruding portion of the sliders separator into a position in which itsurroundingly engages such portion and the pull tab is hidden behind theslider. A spring beam extends lengthwise of the separator, rearwardly ofthe slider, and carries a locking pawl at its inner end. A ring mount isintegrally attached to the opposite end of the beam. This ringmount-locking pawl member is received in a slot in the separator and isclamped tightly between the metal pieces between which the slot isformed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionrelates to sliders for slide fasteners, and more specifically to aparticular slider lock mechanism and to a particular construction of aslider for a concealed type slide fastener which permits totalconcealment of the pull tab and near total concealment of the slideritself.

Description of the prior art Weber 2,799,070 discloses a slider for aconventional exposed zipper which includes two pull tabs, one at thefront and one at the back of the slider. It also includes a locking pawlwhich is normally biased into a locking position by a leaf springmember. The pull tab on the same side of the slider as the spring isadapted to pull on the spring to flex it in a direction causing removalof the locking pawl from its locking position. The pull tab on theopposite side of the slider is adapted to, when pulled upon, move anactuator, which extends through the slider, endwise against such springto in that manner cause it to flex and remove the locking pawl from thelocking position. Since the slider of this patent is of the exposed orvisible type, the patent is not concerned with the problem of concealingeither the forwardly directed pull tab or the slider proper.

My prior Pat. No. 3,324,522, issued June 13, 1967, discloses the type oflocking mechanism presently being used in the sliders of conventionalconcealed or seam type slide fasteners. One disadvantageous feature ofthis type of locking mechanism is that it involves components whichproject forwardly a substantial distance beyond the front of the fabric,and the pull tab is not movable into a concealed position rearwardly ofthe slider. Also, the locking mechanism comprises several intricateparts, including a coil type compression spring and a pivot shaft, eachof which must be secured to or mounted on the main body of the slider.

My prior Pat. No. 3,284,864, issued on Nov. 15, 1966, relates to aslider for a concealed type slide fastener, which slider is constructedin a manner to permit movement of the pull tab and its mounting ringbetween an operative position in front of the slider and an inoperative,concealed position, rearwardly of the slider. However, this slider alsoinvolves a forwardly placed locking mechanism comprising severalcomponents which project forwardly a substantial distance beyond thefront surface of the fabric. Even though in such slider the pull "icetab and its mounting ring are concealable, the forward portion of theslider is not. A substantial portion of it projects forwardly throughthe upper portion of the seam and is clearly visible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Sliders of the present invention arecharacterized by a construction permitting movement of the pull tab andits mounting ring into a concealed position rearwardly of the slider,with the slider proper itself being substantially concealed or hiddenfrom view when this is done. Such sliders are also characterized by aconstruction involving a small number of parts, no intricate coilsprings or pivot shafts, and a very few assembly steps, rendering themrelatively inexpensive to manufacture.

According to the preferred form of the invention, the separator is madeshallow and slants rearwardly generally from its inner to its outer end.A fixed ring mount bridges lengthwise over the front surface of hteseparator to form a transverse eye opening between said ring mount andsaid front surface. Owing to the shallow construction of the separatorand the rearward sloping nature of its front surface, it is possible toform such eye without the necessity of the ring mount having to projectforwardly more than, or at least not much more than, the forwardsurfaces of the slider body on which the fabric rides. The outer endportion of the separator is arranged to project endwise of the slider 21small amount. It is sized so that the pull tab mounting ring is movableover it between an operative position in which it is located forwardlyof the separator and surroundingly engages the ring mount and aninoperative position in which it is located rearwardly of the slider andsurroundingly engages such end portion of the separator.

Whereas in the sliders disclosed in my US. Pats. Nos. 3,284,864 and3,324,522 the locking mechanism is located on the front side of theslider and constitutes a forward protuberance, and contributes to orcauses the slider to always be partially visible from the front of thegarment of which it is a part, in the sliders of this invention thelocking mechanism is positioned rearwardly of the slider. It comprises aspring beam which extends generally lengthwise of the separator at therear of the slider. Such beam carries a locking pawl at its inner endwhich projects inwardly or forwardly through an opening in the back ofthe slider and is normally biased by the spring beam into a position ofinterference with a fastener element inside the slider. A forcetransmitting member extends through a front-to-rear opening in theseparator. The forward end of such member is contacted by the pull tabmounting ring when the pull tab is pulled in a slide fastener openingdirection. The ring exerts an endwise force on such member, moving itendwise rearwardly through such opening. Its rearward end rests on or issecured to an intermediate portion of the spring beam so that suchmovement deflects the spring beam rearwardly and removes the lockingpawl from the position of interference with the slide fastener elements.

According to the invention, the ring mount and the spring beam may beset in slots formed in the slider and the metal on opposite sides of theslots crimped to secure them in place. Also, the ring mount and thespring beam may be joined together as one continuous member.

In preferred form the slider of the present invention, including itslocking mechanism, comprises only five components. They are the sliderbody, the pull tab, the pull tab mounting ring, a combined ring mountand locking beam member which includes the locking pawl, and a forcemember. The assembly steps involved comprises attaching the mountingring to the pull tab; inserting the force transmitting member in placewithin the 3 opening for it inthe separator; slipping the ring mountportion of the ring mount-locking beam member through the mounting ring;inserting portions of said member into slots or openings for same formedin the opposite end portions of the separator; then crimping such endportions of the slider body to secure such member in place, and toconfine the force transmitting member within the passageway formed forsame.

These and other features, advantages and characteristics of my sliderdevelopment will be apparent from the following detailed description oftypical forms thereof, in which reference is made to the accompanyingdrawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawing like referencecharacters refer to like parts, and:

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a slider embodying the featuresof this invention, taken from above and looking towards the front andthe separator end thereof;

FIG. 2 is a view looking towards the rear of the slider shown in FIG. 1,taken substantially along aspect line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the slider shown by FIGS. 1and 2, with the ring mount-locking beam member, the force transmittingmember, and portions of the pull tab, the ring and the fabric shown inside elevation, and including a phantom line showing of the pull tab andring in their concealed positions;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showingthe pull tab in the process of being pulled in a slide fastener openingdirection and the force transmitting member and the tab mounting ringfunctioning to deflect the locking beam rearwardly and remove thelocking pawl from its slide locking position;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the slider taken generally from theaspect of line 5-5, and showing the pull tab and its ring, in fulllines, in their concealed positions;

FIG. 6 is a view looking towards the front of the slider, with portionsof the slider body, the pull tab and the ring broken away, and showingthe slide fastener stringers rather diagrammatically;

FIG. 7 is a fragmented longitudinal sectional view, with some parts inside elevation, of a modified form of slider, involving a rear surfaceconforming generally to the shape of the front surface of the pull tab;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view, with some parts in sideelevation, of another modified form of slider according to theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view, with some parts in sideelevation, of still another modified form of slider according to theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIG. 1, theslider comprises a body 10 which may be metallic. It is shown as beingclosed at the back and centrally open at the front, and as having a stemend portion 12 and a branched end portion 14. The stem end portion 12 isin the form of a lipped channel formed by a back panel 16, side walls orflanges 18, 20, and forward lips 22, 24. The side flanges 18, and theside edges of the back panel 16 diverge apart as they extend away fromthe stern portion 12 of the slider and through the branched portion 14thereof. An island-like separator 26 is integrally formed on the backpanel 16, projects forwardly therefrom, and divides the interior of thebranched end portion 14 into two separate branch channels, each of whichis wide enough to accommodate only one chain of fastener elements 28(FIG. 6). Separator 26 is relatively shallow throughout and at its frontslants rearwardly from its inner to its outer end. An outer end orprotruding portion 34 of separator 26 projects endwise of the sliderproper and performs an important function with respect to thedisappearing pull tab feature, hereinafter to be described in somedetail. In FIG. 1, for example, the protruding portion 34 is shownextending endwise outwardly from slider end sur faces 29, 31.

A unitary ring mount locking beam member, identified generally in FIG. 1by the reference character 30, is secured to the separator 26 in amanner to be later described. A pull tab means is secured to the ringmount portion of member 30. A force transmitting member 32 operativelyconnects the pull tab means with the beam portion of member 30, in amanner to be later described, to actuate the locking member. A moredetailed description of the stem and branch end portions of the sliderand their cooperation with the fastener elements 24 to open and closethe slide fastener may be obtained from my aforementioned US. Pat. No.3,324,522, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by referencethereto.

The unitary ring mount-locking beam member 30 includes a curved ringmount portion 36, a locking beam portion 38, which is in the nature of aleaf spring so that it may function as a biasing member, and aninterconnecting bight portion 40. A locking point or pawl 42 is carriedat the free or inner end of the locking beam 38.

Preferably, the separator 26 is formed to include a front-to-rearextending opening in both its inner and outer portions. During assembly,the free end of the ring mount 36 is placed in opening 44 and the bightportion 40 in slot opening 46. Then the end portions of separator 26 arecrimped around such portions of the member 30, for securing such memberin place and to the separator. The crimped end portions of the separatorfirmly clamp onto or frictionally hold the two secured sections ofmember 30. Since the ring mount portion is held at both of its ends, itis fixed in place, i.e. it is secured against being withdrawn or movedduring use of the slider.

The locking beam 38 is joined to the ring mount portion at an angle ofapproximately (see FIG. 3), but is also bent sideways slightly so thatit deviates slightly from the longitudinal center of the slider body andthe general plane of the ring mount 36. This is best shown in FIG. 2wherein the center line of the slider is labeled CL.

The locking pawl 42 has a beveled sloping edge facing the separator 26and a generally straight opposite edge. As is best shown in FIG. 6, thebeveled edge is offset to one side of the center line CL. Thisoffsetting is necessary in order to place the straight edge of the pawl42 in a position to engage one of the fastening elements after the twostrings of such elements have been separated and directed along separatepaths through the branched end portion 14 of the slider. Of course, thelocking member could also be placed in other positions adjacent the stemend 12 or even outside of the slider adjacent the stem end 12. A pullingof the slider in the slide fastener closing direction (to the left aspictured) will cause the slider to move freely. This is because thebeveled edge of the pawl 42 is leading and will freely slide over thefastening elements 28 it contacts. However, slider creep in the slidefastener opening direction is prevented because upon the first tendencyof the slider to move in this direction the straight edge of the pawl 42will engage the first fastener element.

As thus far described, it may be readily seen that the unitary ringmount-locking beam member being a single piece may be fabricatedinexpensively. The assembling of such member into the slider byinserting it into the openings 44, 46 is also a simple operation,rendering the slider inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Another important feature of the invention is that the ring mountportion 32 extends forwardly only about, or at the most only slightlyforwardly of the lips 22, 24, as is clearly shown in FIG. 3, forexample. The importance of this feature is that upon viewing the frontof the garment, only a portion, if any, of the ring mount 36 is seenwhen the fastener is closed.

To assure the concealment of the pull tab mean for operating the slider,the pull tab means is formed of two pieces, namely, a pull tab 48 ofelongated form, and a connector ring 50.

As is best shown in FIG. 1, in preferred form the connector ring isrectangular in cross section and is generally pear-shaped in its outsideconfiguration. The narrower end of the pear-shaped connector ring isformed from two integrally joined spaced arms 52, 54. When in use theconnector ring is slid up toward the forward end of the ring mountportion 36 and is either pulled towards the branched end, as shown inphantom lines in FIG. 3, or towards the stem end as shown in solid linesin FIG. 4. After the fastener has been closed, however, the pull tab 48is swung rearwardly of the slider and the connector ring 50 assumes theposition shown in solid lines in FIG. 3.

The protruding portion 34 of the separator 26 is rounded and of knobform (FIG.2). At its widest point the portion 34- is slightly wider thanthe spacing between the spaced arms 52, 54 of the connector ring 50.However, the spaced arms 52, 54 are resilient enough to spring apartwhen the ring is forced over the protruding portion 34. This frictionfit serves to secure the connector ring 50 in its concealed position.The pull tab will normally be held tightly against the back panel 16. Itis thus obvious that the connector ring and pull tab are both hiddenbehind the slider and fabric when not in use.

In the modified form ofslider shown by FIG. 7, the pull tab 48 has agenerally flat back and thins out at the front, from a necessarily thickeye portion 56 to a thinner shank portion. This gives the pull tab 48 alongitudinally concave forward surface. The rear surface of theseparator is relieved to form a longitudinally convex end surface 52 ofsubstantially complementary shape. When the connector ring is snappedover the end portion 34 of the step arator, the pull tab is relativelytightly against the curved rear surface of the separator. The advantagegained by this arrangement is that the pull tab 48 is a shallower objectbehind the slider body tending to bulge the slider region of the garmentforwardly.

As is best shown in FIG. 3, the separator 26 is provided with a central,somewhat inclined, front-to-rear passageway 58 in which is slidablymounted the force transmitting element 32. The force transmittingelement 32 may be rectangular in cross section and includes twooppositely sloped ends 60, 62, each facing the branched end 14- of theslider. The forward end 60' of the force transmitting member 32, whichterminates adjacent the ring mount portion 36, serves as a cam surfaceagainst which the connector ring 46 may slide. The opposite or rearwardend 62 of the force transmitting member 32 engages the leaf spring beam38 and when moved axially rearwardly within the passageway 58 deflectsthe beam 38 rearwardly to remove the locking pawl 42 out of the path ofthe fastener elements 24. This is best shown in FIG. 4 wherein the pulltab 44 is being drawn toward the stem end of the slider, i.e. in a slidefastener opening direction, and the connector ring 46 has slid up ontothe sloped end 60 of the force transmitting member 32. In this mannerthe force transmitting member is moved axially in the direction of thearrow 72 rearwardly against the flexible resilient beam 36. The beam 38is deflected rearwardly to draw the locking pawl 42 out of the path ofthe fastening elements 24, so that the slider is free to move along thefastener. The primary advantage in the sloped ends of the forcetransmitting element is to provide the cam surface at the forward end,so that the operation of the slider is not impaired by its concealmentfeatures, and to at the rearward end apply the bending force as close aspossible to the free end of the beam 38, so as to obtain the bestmechanical advantage. Another important advantage resulting from bothends being sloped is that the force transmitting element can beassembled into the passageway 58 with either sloped end engaging thebeam with the only concern being that the sloped ends are facing thebranched end of the slider. Thus with this simple limitation theinstallation of the force transmitting element is quite fool-proof andmay be installed without the use of special training or otherwiseskilled labor.

A second modified form of slider is shown in FIG. 8 and includes aseparator 26 having an opening 44 identical to the opening 49 in thepreferred embodiments and a central front-to-rear passageway that isopen to the end of the separator through a narrow slot 46'. Thesidewalls of the narrow slot 46 and the opening 44 are crimpable as inthe preferred embodiment. In the modified form a unitary ringmount-locking beam member 84 includes a ring mount portion 86 joined toa resilient flexible beam 88 that terminates in a locking pawl 90 by abight portion 91. In this form of the invention a force transmittingelement 92 having a single sloped end 94 is integrally joined to thebeam 88 and is mounted for endwise movement in the passageway 80. Theforce transmitting element is installed with the unitary ringmount-locking beam member by sliding the force transmitting elementthrough the narrow slot 46' into the passageway 80. The ring mountportion 91 then seats in the opening 44 and in the narrow slot 46 and issecured in place by crimping the end portions of separator 26'. Theadvantage in this form of construction, of course, is that the forcetransmitting element and the ring mount-locking beam member may be madefrom a single piece of material.

A third modified form of the invention is shown by FIG. 9. In this formthe separator 26" includes an opening 44 at its inner end which isidentical to the opening 44 of the preferred embodiment and a secondslot-like opening at its outer end. A separate ring mount 102 is securedin these openings 44, 100 by crimping their sidewalls as in thepreferred embodiment. A flexible resilient beam 104 terminating in alocking pawl 106 is also integrally connected to a force transmittingelement 108 having a sloped end 110. The beam is secured in an opening112 in the rear surface of the separator and is held tightly by crimpingthe sidewalls of the opening 112. The remaining portions of the sliderare identical with the preferred embodiments and will not be described.

The operation of the slider should be apparent. The slider is drawnalong the fastening elements by pulling on the pull tab when in theposition shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3 and in pull lines in FIG. 6.While being drawn in this manner in a fastener element couplingdirection the locking pawl 40 rides over the rear faces of the fasteningelements 28. The pull tab may also be placed in the position shown inFIG. 4 and pulled in a fastener element decoupling direction. Thiscauses the connector ring 50 to slide relatively along the sloped end 60of the force transmitting element 32 to urge the force transmittingelement endwise rearward against the beam 38. in this manner the lockingpawl 42 is withdrawn from the path of the fastening elements and theslider is free to move along the fastener. When the fastener is closedor it is otherwise desirable to conceal the pull tab and connector ring,the connector ring is drawn into the solid line position shown in FIG. 3such that only a slight portion (if any) of the ring mount 36 is stillrevealed. When in a concealed position, it can be seen that theconnector ring does not engage the sloped end of the force transmittingelement and thus the locking pawl 42 is in an interfering position withthe fastening elements 28. In this manner the slider is precluded frominadvertently sliding or creeping along the fastener.

Preferably, in all forms of the slider the beam 38, 88, 104 is slightlyinset or recessed into a longitudinal groove 112 (see FIGS. 2 and 4)formed in the back panel 16. Also, the locking pawl projects forwardlythrough an opening 114 provided in back panel 16.

It should be noted that the invention is susceptible to still furthermodifications. For example, the locking member need not protrude throughan opening in the rear Wall of the slider but may extend beyond the stemend thereof or, in the alternative, the locking member could bepositioned in one of the branch channels. The connector ring need not berectangular in section but may be circular or oval, etc. The connectorring may not even be needed and the pull tab may be configured todirectly connect with the ring mount.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that further changes may be made inthe construction and arrangements of the various parts without departingfrom the sphere and scope of the invention as expressed in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a concealed slide fastener including two chains of interlockingfastener elements and a slider which is closed at its sides and back, iscentrally open at its front, has a stem end portion of lipped channelform, and has a branched end portion including an island separator and apair of lipped branch channels extending away from said stem channelalong divergent paths on opposite sides of the separator, theimprovement comprising:

a front-to-rear passageway extending through said separator;

a flexible locking beam extending generally longitudinally of theseparator along the back of the slider, said beam including an inwardlyprojecting locking pawl, and said beam normally biasing said lockingpawl into a position of interference with a fastener element;

a force transmitting member extending through said passageway and havinga forward end portion which projects outwardly from said passageway andforwardly of the separator, and a rearward end portion in contact withan intermediate portion of said beam; and

pull tab means connected to a forward portion of said separator andincluding cam means movable against the forward end portion of saidforce transmitting member to move such member generally axiallyrearwardly through said passageway, causing it to deflect the beamrearwardly and in that manner remove the locking pawl out from saidposition of interference with the fastener element.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein an opening extends through theback of said slider in the region of said stem end portion and saidlocking pawl normally extends forwardly from said beam, through saidopening, and into the stem channel. a

3. The improvement of claim 2, wherein a generally longitudinallyextending groove is formed in the back of said slider and the flexiblelocking beam is located in said groove.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the rearward end portion of theforce transmitting element is connected to the intermediate portion ofsaid beam.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said pull tab means includes aring mount extending generally longitudinally of the separator andbridging over the forward end of said passageway, with said ring mountand the forward end portion of said force transmitting element havingcooperating surfaces which converge together as they extend towards thestem end of the slider, and wherein said cam means comprises a ringwhich surroundingly engages said ring mount and is normally looselyaccommodated in the space between the ring mount and the forcetransmitting member, but when forceably pulled towards said stem end, inthe direction of convergence of said cooperating surfaces, slides alongthe ring mount surface, moves said surfaces apart, and forceably movessaid force transmitting member axially and rearwardly through saidpassageway.

6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the rearward end portion of theforce transmitting element is formed to make contact with the beamgenerally along a line which is substantially colinear with thelongitudinal boundary of such element which faces towards the stem endof the slider, so that the force is applied on the beam as close to thepawl as possible.

7. In a concealed slide fastener including a slider which is closed atits sides and back, is centrally open at its front, and has -a stem endportion of lipped channel form, a branched end portion including aisland separator having inner and outer ends, a pair of lipped branchchannels extending away from said stem channel along divergent paths onopposite sides of the separator, and end surfaces, the improvementcomprising:

said separator having a protruding portion which projects endwiseoutwardly of the slider from said end surfaces and includes said outerend, and a forward surface which slopes rearwardly throughout at least asubstantial portion of its extent from the inner to the outer end of theseparator;

a cfixed ring mount having a first end secured to said separator nearthe inner end thereof and an opposite end secured to the protrudingportion of said separator, slightly outwardly endwise of where said endsurfaces intersect said protruding portion; and

pull means for said slider including a ring which is movable between anoperative position, in which it is forwardly of said separator andsurroundingly engages said ring mount, and an inoperative, substantiallyhidden position in which it surroundingly engages the protruding portionof said separator and a portion of it is located rearwardly of saidprotruding portion.

8. The improvement of claim 7, wherein the forward most portion of saidfixed ring mount is offset forwardly of the back of the slidersubstantially about the same distance as the front surfaces of thelipped channels.

9. The improvement of claim 7, wherein the protruding portion of theseparator is of knob form and is slightly narower in the region whereatit is engaged by said ring when the ring is in said inoperative positionthan it is endwise outwardly therefrom, and the ring includes an innerend portion which includes side parts which are spaced apart a distanceapproximately equaling said narrower width region, and are resilientenough to permit pas- ;age of the ring over the wider region outwardlythere- 10. The improvement of claim 7, wherein said ring includes anouter portion which when the ring is in said inoperative position isspaced rearwardly of the outer end portion of said separator, and saidpull means also includes a :pull tab having an eye at its inner endwhich surroundingly engages the outer portion of said ring, with saidspacing being suflicient enough to permit the eye to be accommodatedbehind the protruding portion, so that the pull tab can be set into ahidden position rearwardly of the slider.

11. The improvement of claim 10, wherein said pull tab has a generallyconcave forward surface portion which is substantially contiguous a rearportion of said slider when the ring is in its inoperative position andthe pull tab is located behind the slider, and said rear portion is of asubstantially complementary convex curvature, so that the pull tab maybe placed substantially tight against said slider.

12. The improvement of claim 7, wherein a front-torear passagewayextends through said separator, a flexible locking beam extendsgenerally longitudinally of the sep arator along the back of the slider,said beam including an inwardly projecting locking pawl, and said beamnormally biasing said locking pawl into a position of interference witha fastener element, and a force transmitting member extending throughsaid passageway and having a forward end portion which projectsoutwardly from said passageway and forwardly of the forward surface ofsaid separator and a rearward end portion in cont-act with anintermediate portion of said beam, with said ring being movable againstthe forward end portion of said force transmitting member to move suchmember generally axially rearwardly through said passageway, causing itto deflect the beam rearwardly and in that manner remove the lockingpawl out from said position of interference with a fastener element.

13. In a concealed slide fastener including a slider which is closed atits sides and back, is centrally open at its front, and has a stem endportion of lipped channel form, a branched end portion including anisland separator having inner and outer ends, a pair of lipped branchedchannels extending away from said stern channel along divergent paths onopposite sides of the separator, and end surfaces, the improvementcomprising:

said separator having a protruding portion which projects endwiseoutwardly of said slider from said end surfaces and includes said outerend, a forward surface, and a front-to-rear directed slot in saidprotruding portion;

a fixed ring mount having a first end positioned near the inner end ofsaid separator and an opposite end portion within said slot in theprotruding portion of the separator, with the parts of said separator onthe opposite sides of the slot firmly clamping said opposite end portionof the ring mount between them; and

pull means for said slider including a ring which has an operativeposition in which it is forwardly of the separator and surroundinglyengages said ring mount.

14. The improvement of claim 13, wherein said sepau rator includes asecond slot near the inner end thereof which is substantially coplanarwith the first slot, and wherein the said first end of the fixed ringmount is located within said slot and the portions of the separator onthe opposite sides of said second slot firmly clamp the first end ofsaid fixed ring mount between them.

15. In a concealed slide fastener including two chains of interlockingfastener elements and a slider which is closed at its sides and back, iscentrally open at its front, has a stem end portion of lipped channelform, and has a branched end portion including an island separator and apair of lipped branched channels extending away from said stern channelalong divergent paths on opposite sides of the separator, theimprovement comprising:

a flexible locking beam extending generally longitudinally of theseparator along the back of the slider, said beam including a mountingportion and an inwardly projecting locking pawl adjacent its endopposite said mounting portion, and said beam normally biasing saidlocking pawl into a position of interference with a fastener element;

a front-to-rear opening in the outer end portion of said separator, withthe mounting portion of said beam being disposed within said opening,and with the parts of said separator on opposite sides of the openingfirmly clamping between them the mounting portion of said locking beam;and

means including a pull tab on the forward side of the slider for flexingthe locking beam rearwardly for the purpose of moving the locking pawlrearwardly and out from said position of interference with a fastenerelement.

16. In a slider having a stem end, a branched end including a separator,and front and rear faces, the improvement comprising:

said separator including inner and outer end portions and a generallyfront to-rear passageway extending through it between said end portions,and said outer end portion including a front-to-rear extending slot;

a mount-lock member including a flexible beam portion, a mountingportion, a bright portion connecting a first end of said beam portionwith a first end of said mounting portion, and an inwardly projectinglocking pawl carried by said beam portion;

said beam portion extending generally longitudinally of the separator,rearwardly of the slider, and normally biasing said locking pawlinwardly into a position within the path of certain of the slidefastener elements on which the slider runs;

said mounting portion extending generally longitudinally of theseparator, forwardly of the slider;

said bight portion of said mount-lock member being located within theslot in the outer end portion of said separator, with the parts of theseparator on the opposite sides of the slot, such parts tightly clampingthe bight portion between them;

a force transmitting member extending through said passageway and havinga front end portion which projects from said passagewa forwardly of theseparator, and a rearward end portion in contact with said beam betweenthe locking pawl and the bight; and

pull tab means mounted on said mounting portion and including cam meansmovable against the front end portion of said force transmitting memberto move such member generally axially rearwardly through saidpassageway, causing it to deflect said beam portion rearwardly and inthat manner remove the locking pawl out from said position within thepath of certain of the fastener elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,405,883 8/1946 Gould 24-205143,050,804 8/1962 Morin 24205.14 3,284,864 11/1966 Howell 24-205.14

FOREIGN PATENTS 350,944 2/ 1961 Switzerland. 415,146 12/ 1966Switzerland.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 24-205.1

